Synopsys of Inside North Korea by National Geographic

I found the movie “Inside North Korea” disturbing, intriguing and disappointing. The movie follows National Geographic correspondent Lisa Lang as she accompanies Dr. Ruit, a famed Nepalese eye surgeon while doing cataract surgery in North Korea. He does 1000 surgeries in 10 days, while training North Korean surgeons. The camera crew is there on the pretext that they are just filming the doctor and the work he is doing there. Lisa Lang and her crew, film North Korea and its citizens from the inside and offer a rare look at North Korea. Kim Jong Il is known as the “Dear Leader”. He is an absolute dictator; he in essence is the state, with absolute power. The people of North Korea are taught and trained to adore, almost worship him. They are not allowed cell phones and there is no internet or outside media allowed. The country is the most isolated country in the world, it is roughly the size of Mississippi with a million man army.
North Korea is full of contradictions. While it has the world’s 4th largest army, the incident of cataract is 10 times higher than in the rest of the world. With such a high occurrence it is clear that malnutrition is the leading cause showing that the people are not receiving enough nutrients in their diet. While their leader lives a life of decadence with more than a private fleet of 100 limousines and was at one time the largest single customer of Hennessy Cognac in the world. The North Korean’s are on average 22 pounds lighter and 8 inches shorter that the South Koreans. They are genetically almost identically, virtually the same diet and similar resources. The reason for the severe difference in health is the way the country is run. North Korea has the world’s largest flagpole, in a town that is built of buildings that are just façades. The country is an extreme example of isolationism. North Korea would not be able to exist…...

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...documentary “Inside North Korea” by Lisa Ling shows the isolation that North Korea faces, the fear that Kim Jong Il creates in the people, and it shows what life is like for North Koreans. This country has a political ideology called "Juche” enforce by Kim Il Sung. The ideology “Juche” will be presented in more detail below. North Korea is known as the hermit kingdom because it has been cut off from the rest of the world (Yi, Sun-Kyung, 2004). It is known to be one of the most isolated countries on earth (Lisa Ling). North Korea, Cruelly colonized by Japan early in the 20th century, and split from the south after World War II by cold war politics; it has suffered repressive governments and frequent famines (Yi, Sun-Kyung, 2004). Even with high numbers of famines in North Korea, nothing is imported or exported; this does not benefit the country or its people.
This documentary shows the hardships the people have to go through. For example they have no freedom, there’s famine, they do hard labor, are isolated from the world, are punishment, killed, controlled, not allowed to even travel with-in their own country and cannot own a cell phone. It also shows the brainwashing and fear Kim Jong Il, known as The Great Leade, has created his very own people. No one is allowed to talk bad about him, better said to even think bad thoughts about him. He makes North Koreans think he is a supreme being and their God.
SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY
The political ideology in North Korea is called......

...After the war between North Korea and South Korea the North stayed communist but the South went back to its natural state meaning that it was not communist.
--
Well, North Korea and South Korea went to war in the late 40's or early 50's (before then, Korea was one whole country.). The economy and government are very different between the two countries. South Korea is a perfectly good country. They have cell phones and cars and internet and they're a democracy (things you probably take for granted if you live in the US or Canada or South Korea or pretty much any other free country). But in North Korea things are different. Kim Jong ll rules over North Korea. In North Korea, people are pretty much brainwashed from a young age that the ruler of the country is always right, no matter what, and there's nothing you can do about that. North Korea doesn't have internet, and even though there's a few buses there, there's no such thing as a traffic jam there. They just started allowing cell phones, only a few people have them. International calls and texts aren't allowed. North Korea is basically a country that's closed off from the rest of the world. It's very difficult to leave the country. You might not be able to leave without a good reason, and if you do get to leave you might not be able to come back. It's pretty hard to travel there too- you can't just hop on a plane and fly there. Of course people do escape from time to time- but most people don't even try, don't even......

...Will North Korea in due time undergo changes or experience implosions sooner or later ? Is a big changing or a revolution similar to the Arab Spring possible in North Korea?
The answer from me and most scholars and intelligence analysts has been ‘‘NO’’
The Pyongyang regime’s stability in the aftermath of the events in the Middle East and North Africa is an ‘‘old question’’ that was answered in the 1990s when the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, North Korea) faced the most critical test of its life, and survived. The collapse of the Soviet Union, the drastic cuts in patron aid from China, and the onset of famine that killed hundreds of thousands all constituted the ultimate test of DPRK stability, and the regime staggered on through it all.(1)
There are five potential variables that could bring the Arab Spring to North Korea’s doorstep: individual socio-economic development, rates of economic growth (rising expectations), demography (youthful population), the contagion effect, or regime type. Do we see the possibility for change in the DPRK from any of these? Not really.
In the months since Kim Jong-un has been in power, most telling is the way he remains overshadowed by his late father and grandfather.
Kim jong Un's a contrast to his introverted dad, Kim Jong Il. In power for more than a year, Kim is very much an extrovert who loves to appear in public, watch his beloved hoops and deliver speeches.
"Much of his behavior may be political theater aimed at......

...SEOUL, South Korea - North Korea on Tuesday tested a new multiple-rocketlauncher with a range long enough to strike major American and South Koreanmilitary bases south of Seoul, South Korean military officials said.
The tests are seen as Pyongyang's latest show of force as the United Statesand South Korea conduct annual joint military exercises, to which the Northstrongly objects.
Apart from its nuclear arms, North Korea's multiple-rocket launchers andartillery pieces are the weapons most feared in the South.
The North is estimated to have 13,000 of them clustered on the inter-Koreanborder, just 28 miles north of Seoul; the North's occasional threats over theyears to turn the South Korean capital into a "Sea of fire" are presumed to bereferences to these weapons.
South Korean military intelligence has long suspected the North of developinga longer-range rocket launcher that could reach some of those bases,including those in the Osan-Pyeongtaek hub about 60 miles south of Seoul,where the United States has been relocating many of its bases from aroundSouth Korea.
The United States and South Korea have been building up their ability tocounter the North's rocket and artillery threat in recent years, especially sincethe North's artillery attack on a South Korean border island in 2010, whichkilled four people.
The range of North Korea's new 300-millimeter multiple-rocket launchermeans that the North can keep the launchers outside the range of the Spikemissiles and......

...NORTH KOREA
Nicholas Eastman
There are a few different countries that, in my opinion, would be enjoyable to visit and study their culture. One country in particular seems to stick out to me. I have always been taught about democracy in school, as well as other government styles, but have never first hand experienced another style of government. For this reason I chose North Korea, based on their centralized communist ways. I opinionate this to be an interesting way of life and would like to learn more about how people live under a communist government. From what I know about North Korea, rules seem strict and the people do not have the same rights as we do in the United States, which leaves me wondering how my life would be different, living under the same conditions as North Koreans.
The geography of North Korea represents a peninsula, attached to Manchuria, China, and a small portion of the USSR (Geography). This 600 mile long peninsula is just above the 38th parallel, with a size of just above 45,000 square miles (Geo). With this, it makes the country itself smaller than the state of Pennsylvania. The make-up of the land in North Korea consists of several mountain ranges, lined up north to south, with small valleys in between each (Geo). This does not allow for many rural areas, leading to large cities populated by millions of people. The Yalu River forms a portion of the northern border with Manchuria (Geo). The mountains in the country prevent large farms,......

...National geographic
Modern humans and nature are connected in many ways. However, these two concepts are very different. For example, when we simply need food or are stranded out in a desert, and in need of a water source; we will be in thirst just like a plant would be. We both need to feed, consume energy, and to take care of our well-being. We fluctuate in ways because nature does not need wealth to survive. Also, we have altered the air by polluting it with our transportation and factories. Nature wouldn’t put this burden onto itself and possibly create global warming. In contrary, if we did not have certain properties in nature, would humans be able to survive?
Food and Water
Nature allows humans to live our day to day lives on earth. It provides us with water, oxygen, and other vital essentials for us to survive. We get our water from rivers, lakes, and wells. We get our meat from a vast variety of animals that nature sustains in a natural habitat. We get our oxygen from the plants, trees, rain forests and even from our household plants, thus we are connected. This answers our question on if humans would be able to survive without nature; that answer would be no. We obviously need oxygen from the plants and trees to keep the air less polluted and healthy enough for us to intake a single breath.
Adaptation
When placed in a specific or unknown environment both humans and nature are forced to adapt to their surroundings. For example, humans that live in very......

...In the PBS documentary, Secret State of North Korea, journalist Kiro Ishimaru is trying to expose what Kim Jong Un’s regime wants to hide. The are trying to expose the secret world of North Korean people. Jiro and the people who work for him have an undercover network, which covertly films life inside the country and smuggles their footage back across the Tumen River.
Within North Korea, the State through means of television, make the country out to be a land of plenty. They show pictures of an advance economy, happy, well-fed children and shops overflowing with good. On street corners, speeches made by Kim Jong Un are pumped through speakers where he promises his people a bright economic future. There is no escape to the ever-present propaganda and ANG JIN-SUNG, a former propagandist says its for a certain reason. “As well a physical dictatorship, they oppress people with an emotional dictatorship. In North Korea, they promote the leader to be the sun. If you go too close, you burn. If you go too far, you freeze to death. You think of him as incredibly god-like.”
Although it is perceived as a land of plenty this is far from the truth and throughout the film there are many examples of what Koreans face everyday. Jiro’s undercover network has filmed orphaned street kids who gather in markets. They beg for money and are constantly on the lookout for scraps of food. When interviewed an eight year old said that “My mom tried to look after me, but she said it was too hard,......

...The Nuclear Fallacy of North Korea
Bill Gonzalez
April 22 2013
Since its inception, North Korea has never ceased to stir up trouble with the international community. Officially know as the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK), North Korea split from the neighbouring South Korea at the end of the Second World War in 1945. The young nation was initially adopted by the Soviet Union, which implemented their Communist ideals into the countries government and society. The tension between the communist government of the north and the republican government of the south would eventually lead to the Korean War, a three-year conflict which saw the US and other members of the UN supporting South Korea and North Korea being supported by the Soviet Union and later China. The Korean War, which never ended in a piece treaty (it’s still technically going on today), would lead to the strained relations that exist between North Korea and the UN today. North Korea’s economy initially recovered from the aftermath of the Korean War, however increasing debt, inflation, the mismanagement of funds, numerous droughts, and the lack of western trade partners lead to an eventual economic decline in the late 1970’s. North Korea has since been one of the world’s poorest countries, with roughly 20-27% of the population living below the poverty line. The social economic issues in North Korea haven’t stopped the government from developing nuclear weapons however, a process which has lead......

...was a military conflict between the Republic of
Korea, supported by the United Nations, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, supported by the People's
Republic of China (PRC), with military material aid from the Soviet Union. The war was a result of the physical
division of Korea by an agreement of the victorious Allies at the conclusion of the Pacific War at the end of World
War II.
The Korean peninsula was ruled by Japan from 1910 until the end of World War II. Following the surrender of Japan
in 1945, American administrators divided the peninsula along the 38th Parallel, with United States troops occupying
the southern part and Soviet troops occupying the northern part.[2]
The failure to hold free elections throughout the Korean Peninsula in 1948 deepened the division between the two
sides, and the North established a Communist government. The 38th Parallel increasingly became a political border
between the two Koreas. Although reunification negotiations continued in the months preceding the war, tension
intensified. Cross-border skirmishes and raids at the 38th Parallel persisted. The situation escalated into open warfare
when North Korean forces invaded South Korea on 25 June 1950.[3] It was the first significant armed conflict of the
Cold War.[4]
The United Nations, particularly the United States, came to the aid of South Korea in repelling the invasion. A rapid
UN counter-offensive drove the North Koreans past the 38th Parallel and almost to......

...Russia and North Korea have declared 2015, the year of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II as “Friendship Year”. Since last year, Russia and North Korea have increasingly improved their ties with each other. The growing ties and relationship between the countries has got the world thinking about the intentions of their alliance. More recently, North Korea’s Kim Jong Un has confirmed his visit to Russia. This will be the leader’s first visit to anywhere since taking on the position of North Korea’s leader after the death of his father, Kim Jong-il.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been facing a lot of heat from the United Nations recently because of their military operations in Ukraine. North Korea was sanctioned by the United Nations because of their nuclear test programs in 2006 and since then, the relationships had been worsening, with the States again charging North Korea’s Kim Jong Un of heinous crimes against its own population and more. Both Russia and North Korea have been left in isolation and it seems that both the countries were in need of a remarkable alliance. The countries have announced that they will deepen economic and political ties starting from this year; their ‘year of friendship’ (McCurry). An official North Korean news agency said that the countries would “develop bilateral relations on to a new higher stage in various fields including politics, economy and culture under a mutual agreement”.
Another question in the minds of the people...

...Values, Norms, Traditions, and Narratives of North Korean Culture
Even though the cultural values of North Korea are always evolving,I felt that the following values and norms are fundamental to their culture. Harmony in personal relationships is a dominant force in a Korean’s life (Moerch). Facts, logic and conclusions are often not nearly as important as how one is looked upon by others. Friendships are tight-knit and valuable. It is an insult to refuse a friend’s request. It is even less forgivable to fail a superior. These friendships are possible because everyone does his or her best to preserve the harmony of good feelings. The bearer of bad news may smile to soften the blow, or they may avoid giving the news, even if s/he is merely the messenger and in no way responsible for it.
It is very hard for Koreans to admit failure and it is devastating to lose face in Korean culture. The directness of Westerners is thoroughly unpalatable to many Koreans (especially older and/or more traditional people), whose self-esteem is often on the line. In Korea, it is very important to maintain “kibun” or the feeling of being in a in a comfortable state of mind. Kibun has no literal translation in English. However, it can be described in terms of pride, face, mood, or state of mind. In order to maintain a Korean’s sense of Kibun, particularly in a business context, one must show the proper respect and avoid causing loss of face. In a culture where social harmony is essential, the......

...oppressed. The nation of North Korea is no exception, with “Bing-brother always watching.” The government in North Korea pervades all aspects of life.
Hunger is a problem worldwide. However with a quarter of North Korea’s population (six million people) starving or malnourished, with nearly one million of those cases being children under the age of five years old, the situation is especially dire (Cullinane 3). Throughout history the term “famine” has referred to a shortage of food caused by uncontrollable circumstances. Modern famines are relatively nonexistent because international aid, globalization, and modern domestic responses are all able to provide a safety net for those in need of assistance. In reality, mass-starvations today are caused by government decisions and improper food distribution. The North Korean government controls food delivery through a Public Distribution System (PDS), on which 62 percent of the population is entirely reliant upon for monthly or biweekly rations (Haggard et al. 17). To put this dependency in perspective, by the end of the 1990’s the PDS could barely support six percent of the population (Haggard et al. 28). In the 1990’s those who lived in the Northeastern Hamgyong provinces, a region historically rebellious due to mountain ranges and proximity to China, were cut off from the PDS (Nastios 109). With regime control of food distribution, creating food shortages became an effective and horrifying way in which the North Korean regime......

...Hello everyone, I would like to talk to you about the humanitarian crisis in North Korea. Kim Jong Il imposes a totalitarian rule over the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea or the D.P.R.K. for short. The DPRK is what north Korean’s refer to when mentioning their country. This is ironic because they are far from being democratic and they have absolutely no say in their government elections. The Kim family has ruled for generations and wins one hundred percent of the time because North Korea does not allow any political opposition. The people are isolated and are completely cut off from the outside world. According to a North Korean world article, North Koreans practice collective punishment. This means that if you go against Kim Jong Il in any way, not only will you get in trouble but the rest of your entire family will be punished. There is evidence about the political prisons that say death rates are extremely high. Grandchildren to grandparents have been sent to prison camps. Guards who have defected have reported being specifically told by Kim Jong Il that the prisoners are not people and should be treated as such. They are never meant to be released and their history is erased as soon as they enter. Although North Korea denies any of these camps exist. This is a humanitarian crisis and there is evidence that they are committing crimes against humanity. Kim Jong Il and his government should be held accountable. We CANNOT sit back and allow this to go on. Satellite......

...North Korea
Hermit Kingdom
27
FEB
2016
Life In North Korea
One of a series of drawings of public executions created by North Korean refugee child showing the stages and manner of public execution in North Korea. Factual accuracy was later confirmed by news reports and a video taken and smuggled from North Korea to Japan. Picture credit: North Korea Genocide Exhibit
As one of the only remaining closed societies in the world, North Korea has garnered global attention to what is sealed off within its borders. Despite the ongoing food crisis that has lasted for two decades and the whimsical leadership under the 'Kim' family, life manages to go on in Hermit Kingdom.
A man gathering grass as a source of food from a park. Picture credit: Eric Lafforgue
North Koreans are constantly under the scrutiny of the state. Neighbourhood watch groups know as the Inminban are deployed in all villages. A female junior official usually heads the group and her main tasks are to look out for any suspicious activities within her jurisdiction and ensure there are no 'contraband' items like DVDs of South Korea and tuneable radio sets. Instilling fear and propaganda are the two main tools the North Korean government use to ensure obedience of its citizens. People are often required to attend public execution where political dissidents and transgressors are shot to death on the spot. Statues and figures of the Kim family are ubiquitous. The government......

...Article Paper
4/11/2012
National Geographic Explores Digital Future
National Geographic, the fascinating nature magazine, has been present with us for 124 years. As we know, it is well known for its photography, maps, and articles. Mr. Fahey had taken over as the CEO of National Geographic in 1998 and is dedicating his efforts into expanding the magazine’s reach to consumers. He understands that the digital aspect of the market is thriving today so he is going to enter in strong, considering 56% of their revenue is accumulated through television networks and other programming methods. Mr. Fahey strongly states he won’t abolish the company’s oldest asset, stories and pictures, but will deliver them in a more accessible manor. This article correlates highly on the implications for management seen in Chapter 6 of the textbook.
Chapter 6 strongly informs the reader about planning and strategies. Planning has a very important role in management with relevance to achieving goals. There are three steps within planning that firms must use in order to plan successfully. Mr. Fahey and National Geographic do this very well. This first step is to determine the organizations mission and goals. Mr. Fahey states this quite clearly by saying that the company will do much better off with digital expansion. The second step is to formulate a strategy. Mr. Fahey does this by noticing how the website and television networking succeeded. Since that division of digital sources......